‘French imperialism to block change in Algeria’

Algerian youths march with national flags during a demonstration in the center of the capital, Algiers, on March 11, 2019, after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his withdrawal of a bid to run for another term in office. (Photo by AFP)

France’s “imperialist” policies do not allow the people of Algeria to succeed in bringing about political change in and democratizing their country, says a commentator.

Amid nearly month-long protests, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced on Monday that he would not be running for a fifth term in office.

In an interview with Press TV on Tuesday, Scott Rickard, a former American intelligence linguist, said Algeria, as a “colonial French country, obviously operates under French rule even [...] today.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t see much change in the political infrastructure given the predominant control... under the French imperialist nature of the country (Algeria),” Richard said.

The analyst also pointed to the root cause of France’s continued interest in Algeria, saying the European country had “tremendous ties” to petroleum, gas, and tourism industries in the North African country.